


Nemeton Story Time

by LadyDrace



Series: Junk Ficlets from Tumblr [92]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Kid Fic, M/M, Orphans, POV Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 03:45:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8355751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDrace/pseuds/LadyDrace
Summary: Stiles and Derek have taken in several orphans over the years, and Stiles feels it's important they all know how things came to that.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally [posted on Tumblr](http://ladydrace.tumblr.com/post/144945933341/prompt-beacon-hills-goes-from-monster-central-to) for the prompt:
> 
> _prompt: Beacon Hills goes from monster central to a safety zone for supernatuals. Derek and Stiles end up running a home for werebabies and werekids who don't have parents anymore._
> 
> Unbetaed.

”All right everybody, gather round! Steve, do not claw that tree-sap, you’ll just get stuck again, now get over here. Derek, you got the little ones?” Stiles asks without looking. It’s kinda more important to make sure Bells doesn’t start taking off her clothes again.

 

”Yep.” Derek takes position next to him, two babies strapped to either side of his torso, and a third under his arm. Not on his hip, no, under his arm, because Julio is a squirmer.

 

”Okay, good, now listen- hey! Steve, what did I literally just say?!” There’s a little scuffling around until Steve is planted firmly in the middle of the group with no escape, and Stiles takes a deep and calming breath before making a sweeping gesture behind him. ”Alrighty. So. This big ol’ stump is called The Nemeton. It’s actually _A_ nemeton, like, these things are all over the world. They’re sacred places for druids and other magic people. And sometimes they go bad if people abuse them.”

 

Lola puts her hand up, because she’s about to start school and is very excited about it, and Stiles is not gonna lie, it makes him melt a little bit. ”Yes, Lola?”

 

”Like, go bad like… like uncle Isaac’s daddy?”

 

The thing about raising supernaturals is that there’s really no way to keep the monsters of the world secret, because, inevitably, they’ll be exposed to them long before they’re ready. So certain things are simplified, but never kept secret.

 

”Well, kind of. But no, not really. It’s a tree. Or at least it was, before it was chopped down. But the thing is, nemeta- that’s just a fancy way of saying nemetons, they have power. They’re magical. And if some bad people use that magic wrong, the tree becomes wrong too.”

 

”Like getting sick?” Esther asks. She’s one of the older ones, but as a born wolf her understanding of getting sick is a little vague.

 

”Yeah, that’s actually pretty accurate. So, many years ago now, this nemeton went bad. Some bad people tried to use it in a bad way, and instead of being a nice place for good or neutral magic, it became a beacon for bad things. Does anyone know what a beacon is?”

 

”A light?”

 

”That’s right, Oliver, it _can_ be a light, but it can also be a sound or a sign that draws people or things to it. And in this case, it started attracting only evil things.”

 

Hassan pulls at Stiles’ pant leg until he bends down. ”Yeah, what’s up buddy?”

 

”Maybe the nemetan thought it had to become a beacon to live in Beacon Hills,” he whispers, like he does everything, and Stiles pats his head gently.

 

”Nah, buddy, it doesn’t really think. Not like we do, anyway. But I agree, there’s definitely something ironic about it.” He straightens up again, and makes a quick headcount to make sure no one’s snuck off while he was momentarily distracted. ”But the good news is that it’s not a beacon anymore. Some very awesome people took all the power out of this nemeton, so now it’s not good or evil or even anything. Now it’s just a dead tree.”

 

”Was it you and Derek?” Oliver pipes up, lisping slightly from the enormous gap left by losing all of his top front teeth at the same time, because that kid does everything in leaps and bounds.

 

”I love how you think, man,” Stiles says, and reaches out for a fistbump. ”Yeah, me and Derek kinda helped a little bit.”

 

”So no more bad people will come?” Hassan asks very quietly from somewhere around Stiles’ knee.

 

Stiles kneels down to give him a cuddle, because he always takes bad news better if he’s being hugged. ”Sorry, kiddo, there’ll always be bad people in the world, and some of them might come our way. That’s just how life goes.”

 

There are nods here and there in the group, especially from the older kids. And Stiles wishes so hard it didn’t have to be that way, but there’s just no helping it.

 

”But anyway, the reason I wanted you all to see this nemeton, is that this is why you guys are with me and Derek. This is why bad people came for your families. Because some selfish, evil people wanted power for themselves, and they didn’t care what happened to anyone else. And I know this is very sad and hard to hear, but this is why it’s so important that we always stick together and help each other. And even though it’s hard, always try and do the right thing. So no one else has to lose their parents ever again. Understand?”

 

There’s some sniffling, but mostly wide-eyed nodding, and Stiles thinks it couldn’t really have gone any better. Most of the kids are still too young to really get it, but they’ll be taking this trip again at some point, and hopefully it’ll sink in then. ”Okay, that’s good. Now, who wants juice boxes and crackers?!”

 

The happy shrieking makes Stiles wince, but it’s okay, because soon enough they’re all sitting on the old stump, quiet mostly descending on the happily munching group.

 

”But when can we run? You said we could run!” Bells whines, already pulling at her shoes again, always so eager to shift that clothes need to be closely monitored at all times.

 

”Not until we’re done with snacks, and Derek can run with you. Okay?”

 

”Okaaaay,” she grumbles, and kicks her feet against the old stump.

 

”You got the babies?” Derek asks eventually, as the juice boxes empty, and most of the kids start shedding clothes, Bells naked before most of them have lost as much as a sock.

 

”Yeah, I got the babies,” Stiles confirms, making sure all three of them are situated safely in the ring of clothing left on the surface of the stump. He stretches up expectantly, and smiles when Derek leans down to offer the requested kiss. ”You guys have fun out there.”

 

”We will,” Derek assures, giving him one more kiss before shifting to his full, enormous wolf form, and taking off with a screaming and laughing tail of kids behind him.

 

Once they’re out of sight Stiles puts a palm on the stump, taking advantage of the moment of quiet to make sure, again, that’s there nothing there. Just old, worn, wood. No magic calling out to his spark. No danger. Except maybe the danger of being puked on, which is always very real these days. But that’s a danger he’s more than happy to face.

 

End.


End file.
